


Artificial Love

by SpecsWritesStuff



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: AI AU, M/M, Maybe others?, Robots, ludwig doesn’t know what emotions are, tryna find love!!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2020-04-08 11:44:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19106422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpecsWritesStuff/pseuds/SpecsWritesStuff
Summary: Ludwig is terribly lonely with only his dogs to keep him company. After years of being unable to find love, he’s turned to a lab in France to build a spouse for him. Over one million dollars later and a year of waiting, unit L-FF254 is delivered to his home.





	1. Cold

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by the movie AI! The first chapter kinda gives you background before Francis is around. You get to see him be built and feel Ludwig’s hollow-ness (same).
> 
> There may be errors, I’m a bit lazy when it comes to checking for spelling errors because I’m a fast typer! :)

May 15th, 2094

Every day drags by. It’s the same routine over and over without a break. Wake up, shower, walk the dogs. Then have breakfast and work until noon. Have lunch and work more until the sun sets. Have a snack, go to bed and pray the ceiling crashes down so the cycle doesn’t repeat itself again in a few hours. 

Ludwig is unbearably lonely. He’s tried everything. He’s gone on blind dates, used dating simulations, met people from all over the world without any luck. He felt heavy with sadness all the time, some mornings he couldn’t even get out of bed. What was the point? All of his old friends were married now, they didn’t check in on him anymore. His brother lived across the country, flinging money around for one night stands every night. Ludwig was offered a place there but he wanted love, not lust. 

Just to entertain the idea, Ludwig found himself looking for spouses you could hire and found himself looking into a mecha spouse. He knew of couples getting a mecha child when they couldn’t conceive or rich families getting mecha grandparents to watch their children for them but he had never heard of mecha spouses. It was too unheard of and those who had married mechas chose not to speak out about it since it was...It was not looked down upon but it was just strange. Why marry a mecha when humans are ‘superior’?

Maybe it could work. Maybe it wasn’t just a silly dream. Maybe it wasn’t a waste of time to spend hours looking into something so ridiculous. 

June 1st, 2094

After days of sitting in front of screens, investing all of his time into the idea that was now turning into a plan. The only place Ludwig trusted to make an advanced mecha, one intended for marriage and companionship, was Laboratoire Comète. A large laboratory in southern France that specialized in loving mechas such as nannies or cooks. No one has personally contacted this place in search of a lover before, that must have been why they called him in so quickly to see him.

Germany, England and Russia specialized in working mechas. The ones that built houses, did paperwork, flew planes. Gilbert was less than pleased that he was going to the French for something of the sort, Gilbert didn’t even like the idea that Ludwig wanted artificial love in the first place. He couldn’t wrap his head around it so Ludwig simply didn’t talk to his brother about the matter anymore “We have mechas here that are not nearly so expensive!” Gilbert would tell him “You’re paying for the fact that it’s French, that’s how they get you! It will get here and act like any other mechanical babysitter, you’re wasting your money! What would Vati say?”....What would he say? Ludwig didn’t know. He barely knew him. All he knew was that he and his brother were left with millions after their father took a deadly tumble years ago. Spending a million or two wouldn’t kill them, it would be like taking a slice of bread from a whole loaf. Ludwig had sat at his desk, working out the numbers. This was worth it! No one understood...But this was worth it. 

July, 5th 2094

Gilbert no longer calls. They argued about mechas every time they talked so it was better this way. Ludwig really is alone now in his large home outside of Stuttgart. His dogs were the only joy he had now until his spouse was put together. He sat in his living room, his television displaying the head scientist he was talking to. Neither spoke each other’s language but it didn’t matter, the translator in the speakers did everything for them. They discussed what Ludwig wanted, showing him body models and asking for measurements. Ludwig wanted it to be shorter than him, five feet five inches tall. He hadn’t looked into shoulder widths or anything like that so it would end up being a surprise. 

“Nationality? Eye color? Basic facial features?”

“French. Blue eyes, like denim. High cheekbones” Ludwig answered with ease. He had his most desired features listed before him “Blonde hair, shoulder length. Nothing special with its ears or chin, just make them normal”

“Mhm...What about its gender? It would be easier to design if we knew what molds to use”

“I have not decided yet” the scientist made a face, wrote something down and looked back up at him. He didn’t have to say anything for Ludwig to know he was being judged. 

August 21st, 2094

Payments have gone through, papers have been signed. Ludwig is brought to the lab almost every day to approve the design and personality of his mecha. Blonde hair, blue eyes, high cheekbones, caring smile. He wanted it to be good at cooking, loving, physically affectionate. He wanted it to be as real as possible and for the amount of money he would be spending, the French scientists were surely trying to do just that.

Ludwig sighed and pulled a pair of latex gloves on, following a group of scientists into a room full of mecha bodies. None of them had skin or faces, they were merely shells of what they were soon to be. Families often ordered nanny mechas or child mechas to comfort families who have lost their kids before but mecha lovers were not frequently made. Ludwig was led past tables upon tables, each station labeled with last names: Barber, Martin, Piget, Laurel, Connors and finally Beilschmidt. The mecha laying on the table was five feet, five inches long as he has asked for. Nothing else had been customized yet, just the shell was there on the cold metal. On another table near by sat a few face molds, a very early one, a broken one and one that Ludwig was quite fond of. The nose was a tad crooked but it gave it character.

Now, he would get to stand with the scientists for a few hours while they worked on his mecha. Ludwig still had to figure out a name a name, a gender, and embarrassingly he also had to figure out if he wanted it to have ‘curves and genitals’. He hadn’t thought that far ahead and blushed deeply when he was asked about it. 

September 9th, 2094

Ludwig dragged himself out of his French hotel room at six o’clock in the morning to head to the lab. He’d gotten a call the night before to be there early. His mecha was now talking and moving it’s limbs around. It can’t walk or write or anything of the sort yet but the scientists insist that the more Ludwig interacts with it, the more it will like him. The true imprinting process will take place a week or so after the mecha comes home with him but for now, having Ludwig be around it is good for it...And Ludwig too. 

When he arrives, the mecha is laying on its table still. It turns its head to look at him, no expression on its face   
“How are you today, Ludwig?” The mouth doesn’t move much, just up and down. It gets smarter every day, it knows that he doesn’t understand French so it talks to him in German. It’s voice is monotone and sounds odd. The scientists assure that the voice can be fixed.

“I am well, thank you for asking. And yourself?”

“I am not feeling anything currently. When I do, I will inform you” Ludwig sighed a little and moved closer to look it over. The artificial heart ‘beat’ beneath the glass of its ‘chest’. It was so strange...Sometimes, when looking at it, he wondered if this was the right thing to do...He was so confident awhile ago. But his doubts fade away when new face molds are shown to him and concept models...His mecha will be a real person one day. That is a day he cannot wait for.

“Have you thought of a name for me yet?” Its the sixth time it has asked and still Ludwig has nothing for it.

“My apologies, I have not...”

“I have a database full of popular names in Germany, would you like me to list them?” Lifeless eyes stared at him even though they saw nothing yet. The head moved around like a person’s would 

“Sure, I don’t want German names though. Read me a list of French names. Gender neutral” He decided, sitting down beside the table as his mecha listed names alphabetically. His mecha focused on its task and somehow, Ludwig found himself holding its cold hand.


	2. Real To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ludwig’s mecha gets a name, a new face and a first kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be errors! I did a really quick overview before posting but that’s about it! Once again, this is inspired by ‘AI’! PLEASE watch the movie if you haven’t, it’s just fantastic!

January 14th, 2095

Seeing the mecha walking around was so very strange. Ludwig arrived at the lab early once again, as he tried to every morning. His mecha was wearing a white uniform with his ID tag on the shirt pocket, it’s attention almost fully consumed by the task of tying its shoe. 

“Good morning, Ludwig. How are you?” He had finally chosen a gender for his spouse to be. It took longer than he would like to admit, but he decided that he wanted a husband. Not a wife. The scientists were thrilled to finally have an answer to the month long question and took the next four days to customize a voice for Ludwig’s future husband. A voice that was soft and melodic, a laugh that was contagious to go with it. 

“I’m quite alright, a bit tired but I’m happy to see you” 

“I am happy to see you as well” His mecha smiled at him and gestured for him to follow. They made their way to a seating area in the lobby, other mechas were there working and socializing. Ludwig could see them checking his out just to see how far along he was. The two sat down across from eachother in separate armchairs.

“May I ask you something?” Plastic blue eyes met Ludwig’s. He could tell that his mecha was doing his best to act normal. His actions were not perfected, every movement he made was stiff and somewhat awkward.

“You do not need to ask me if you’re allowed to ask questions”

“When will I get a name? Every other mecha has a name. Marianne got her name in November. Jean-Paul got his name in October. Jule got her name-“

“I will try to think of one for you, I promise” Though that was a lie he’s been telling for months 

“I’m quite tired of being called ‘it’” Ludwig met his eyes again and even though his face and features were not perfected, he could tell that there was...emotion there within the plastic face.

“I will...I will think of a name for you tonight. Unless...Well- unless you want to pick your own name-“

“May I?” Ludwig hadn’t thought this far “I want to be called ‘Francis’. I like that name. I made a name tag last night and walked around with it. It felt very good to have a name, even if it was just for one night” He felt a pain in his chest, one of guilt. He hadn’t thought that a name would mean that much...Now he felt like an ass for waiting so long

“If that is the name you want-“

“I get to pick my middle name as well? ‘Jean-Charles’. And my last name will be ‘Bonnefoy’ until we are married. Is that alright with you?”

“Thats perfect” A beautiful smile spread across his mecha’s face. He reached forward to take Ludwig’s hand, jittery with excitement 

“Merci! Danke! I will be the best ‘Francis’ I can be”

January 20th, 2095

Something horrible has happened. Ludwig was called in around one in the morning, it was an emergency according to the head scientist. 

When he got there, he found Francis surrounded parts and wires, terrible grinding sounds coming from inside him.

“What did you do to him?” Ludwig asked, rushing over to see what was happening only to be moved aside 

“Please sir, you are getting in our way-“

“Is that Ludwig? Let me see- see- see- him!” More grinding sounds, a pained shout came from the table but it wasn’t a worker...It was Francis 

“You got his pain receptors working...” Ludwig almost couldn’t believe it

“They have been working for months actually. But that didn’t stop him from eating a whole bowl of oatmeal after you left tonight. We didn’t realize until he started seizing on the floor in the lobby, scared the hell out of everyone there. Dr. Martin thought it was a system malfunction of some sort but he just clogged himself up with...oatmeal” Ludwig was in a state of shock...All of this over oatmeal? Francis was still shouting for him though. Even though he wasn’t real, hearing how scared he was and how much pain he was in made Ludwig push others aside to stand by him.

“Hey! Hey look at me. Why did you eat that? You know you can’t eat real food” he ran a hand through Francis’ hair to try and soothe him a little 

“I saw you and- and- and- you enjoy oatmeal. I wanted to try- try it. I can’t ta- taste anything the way you do” Francis tipped his head back to look up at him, trying to smile through it for Ludwig but he could tell that his mecha was terrified “Please hold- hold my hand...” Ludwig obliged, watching with a mix of curiosity and horror as Francis was cleaned out. His chest was open, all sorts of chips and wires were pulled out of him to be cleaned. Chunks of oatmeal covered his insides and Ludwig couldn’t help but feel guilty once again. A chip was shoved back into its proper place and some of the grinding stopped. Francis moved his jaw, a few clicking sounds coming from him before he spoke clearly.

“I tried to be real for you...” Francis told him softly “Sometimes I forget that I’m not real. I go to the bathroom to brush my hair, maybe wash my face the way you do. Or pick out outfits every day, lat down for a ‘nap’. I feel real when I do things like that”

“You are real. You are to me...” Ludwig made sure that the scientists weren’t looking at him before he pressed a kiss to Francis’ cheek. Francis lit up, a grin on his face despite the pain he was in

Ludwig stayed the night. He slept on a cot with Francis, a protective arm around him. Mechas didn’t sleep though, Francis just watched him all night with a fond smile. “I am real...I’m real...Just for you”

February 7th, 2095

Francis was finally getting his face mold and skin, no more cloth and rubber. These were the final products, the perfect pieces of every batch. The silicon that was his ‘skin’ felt the same as human skin. His face was so realistic that you wouldn’t be able to tell he was a mecha if he was talking to you on the street. Every detail was perfect. A few freckles on his face, crinkling around his eyes when he smiled, fingernails that felt like real fingernails, hair on his arms and chest. It was all perfect. 

Francis was taken away around noon and returned at five o’clock exactly. “Ludwig look! I have my new face!” He exclaimed, looking at his own reflection in the glass coffee table once he was wheeled out “Isn’t this exciting! I look like everyone else now!”

“Yes you do, I think you’re the most handsome man in the world” he assured, standing up from his spot in the lobby to wrap his arms around him. Francis just kept grinning. Some would say it was unnerving the way he smiled all the time but Ludwig loved it. There were not nearly enough genuine smiles in the world anymore. 

“Oh hush!” Francis insisted, resting his head on Ludwig’s shoulder “I think you are the handsome one” They didn’t have too much time left together before Francis was taken back into the lab. His teeth needed fixing, according to the scientists they were just a tad too white to be realistic. His movement needed more adjusting and some glitch with his neck movements needed to be sorted out. At this point, Ludwig couldn’t wait to take Francis home. 

Francis waved goodbye and he was wheeled off once again, leaving Ludwig in the lobby with the faintest of blushes on his cheeks.

February 14th 2095

“Happy Valentine’s Day! I wish you could be here. I miss you” 

“I miss you too. I’ll be back on Thursday, you just have to hold out until then” Ludwig told him. His brother had called two days before, something urgent. Gilbert had heard that Francis was becoming more realistic with each passing day. Ludwig has stopped talking about his lover months ago but with a bit of digging, Gilbert had located his brother and found out everything about Francis. “I know this is your first Valentine’s Day, I’m sorry I cannot spend it with you. Can I call you back later? I’m supposed to be having lunch with my brother”. Francis understood and hung up. Gilbert was royally pissed.

“So you did it. You made that thing after all”

“His name is Francis, quit calling him a thing Gilbert-“

“I can’t believe you! How much have you spent on it? One million?” Ludwig couldn’t even look at his brother, he didn’t want to admit how much he spent. It was worth it though, it was worth every cent. “Two million?” Still no answer “Ludwig! Fucking three million? Tell me dammit! How much of our money did you waste on that tin man?!”

“Stop it-“ “How much?!” “Three million dollars! A bit over that! Okay? We have so much more! You will be just fine! You can still buy nine million dollars worth of whores if you want, okay? This is a small price to pay for my happiness, isn’t it?”

“Fuck no! What happens if thing goes haywire? What if it kills you or sets the house on fire?”

“He won’t do that, he isn’t programmed to set things on fire-“

“What if it hurts you? Or what if you find a real person to love and that thing keeps following you around? What’re you going to do? Send it to the crusher?-“

“Stop it! There will be no one else! Francis is going to be my husband, get that through your thick skull! He will never go near a crusher! He will be with me! And he will never get to meet you!” Ludwig stood, swiping his arm across the table to send plates crashing to the ground. In a fog of anger, he grabbed his shoes, his coat and his ID, already storming out to catch the next bullet train to France 

March 20th, 2095

Ludwig wakes up to warm arms around him. He’s fallen asleep in the lobby again...He peels his eyes open to see Francis beside him. 

“Francis..? Are you sleeping too?” Blue eyes opened up and focused on him, a soft laugh coming from him. 

“No, was I convincing though? I’ve been trying to copy you and watch people sleep on the television to mimic them too”

“You’re doing great, liebling...What time is it? Did you miss appointments?”

“No, I don’t have anything until four, it’s two fourty now. That new mecha, the Spanish one, is getting touch-ups today before he’s sent out. He’s taking up everyone’s time now. I told him that I hope he has a great life with his new family”

“You’ll be doing that soon too, getting your touch-ups and all of that. Are you excited?”

“Oh of course! I can’t wait to see our house...I don’t want to be delivered though, I wish I could take the bullet train with you. I’ve never been on one before”

“You and I will go on plenty of adventures together, I promise.” Ludwig stole a quick kiss, smiling to himself when Francis blushed “Now, let’s go see if the cafeteria is open, I’m starving”

“Would you like some oatmeal?” Francis laughed. Ludwig didn’t find it funny which only made Francis laugh more.

A few hours later, long after the sun had set, Ludwig and Francis strolled around the lab hand in hand. There were not many areas that they were allowed in and Francis would set alarms off if he left the building so they mostly just paced back and forth down the halls and through the lobby. Francis pulled them to a stop to gaze out the window “Aren’t the stars so pretty tonight, Lu?” He asked “Yes they are, but not nearly as pretty as you” 

Francis’ laugh rang through the empty hall as he leaned against Ludwig’s side “Oh stop that! You’re too much of a flatterer!” Francis nudged him in the ribs. Ludwig wrapped his arms around his waist and spun him around. The couple laughed together, grinning gasping for breath once they calmed down. Francis’ wasn’t real but his programming was near perfection, his mannerisms so very lifelike. 

Even if Francis wasn’t real, he was real to Ludwig. He reached up to cup Francis’ cheek, smiling at his soon to be husband before kissing him.

Francis’ first kiss was just as magical as all of the books, movies and art he’s ever seen. He felt full of love, warmth and childlike magic. Only three more days..Three more days until he would be shipped to his new home with Ludwig. Time has never felt so long before.


End file.
